A multimillion-dollar renovation is expected to start this fall to prepare LakeFront Office Park in MetroCenter for its new owner by the spring.

The United Methodist Publishing House bought the property for $9.25 million on Friday from Lake Front Office Park LLC, which includes the estate of deceased Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams and local investment entity Corner Partnership.

Roughly 400 employees would be involved in the relocation from the publishing house's headquarters at 201 Eighth Ave. S. across from the Music City Center convention hall.

It plans to occupy 75 percent to 85 percent of the 125,000-square-foot MetroCenter building at 2200 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. and start conversations today Monday with existing tenants about leasing the remaining space there, said Rob Lowe, a principal at Cassidy Turley who represented the publishing house in the LakeFront deal.

By Sept. 1, LakeFront will have four remaining tenants — Kebab Gyros & Pita Bar, Day Communications, Coastal Credit and Express Employment Professionals. That is after moves by the Urban League of Middle Tennessee to 50 Vantage Way and a State Farm agency to elsewhere in MetroCenter — both planned this summer, said Michael Hayes of C. B. Ragland Co.

Hayes and his colleague Brandon Kuvara represented Lake Front Office Park LLC in selling the LakeFront office building, the roughly 10 acres it sits on and another 10 acres of an adjacent man-made lake to the United Methodist Publishing House.

The LakeFront site was never officially on the market, Hayes said.

"We were working to bring the property to market just before Mr. Adams passed away, but his death changed the strategy," Hayes added. "Before we could adjust to a new plan, however, we had an unsolicited offer from the UMPH. Interestingly, just after we went to contract with the UMPH, we had three other unsolicited offers come in."

Lowe called the work planned at LakeFront a substantial remodeling to accommodate an efficient modern workplace.

"The property specifically lends itself to a tremendous amount of daylight and beautiful views of the waterfront," he said.

Florida-based Turnberry Associates has the 3.7-acre publishing house headquarters site at 201 Eighth Ave. S. under contract, with plans for a $300 million project expected to include a hotel and 250 condo residences.